1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a heat pump, and more specifically, to a heat pump capable of performing continuous heating.
2. Background
In general, a heat pump is a cooling and heating apparatus that transfers a heat source at a low temperature to a high temperature or transfers a heat source at a high temperature to a low temperature by using heating or condensing of a refrigerant. A heat pump may include a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and an indoor heat exchanger. The heat pump may cool or heating the interior of the room.
In a cooling operation of the heat pump, the outdoor heat exchanger may function as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger may function as an evaporator. In a heating operation of the heat pump, the indoor heat exchanger may function as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger may function as an evaporator.
When the compressor is driven in the heat pump, moisture in air is condensed on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger, and therefore, condensed water may be generated. The generated water is cooled by ambient air at a low temperature, and therefore, frost may be formed on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger. In this case, the outdoor heat exchanger does not perform smooth heat exchange between a refrigerant and air, and hence the performance of the outdoor heat exchanger may be degraded.
As an example for delaying frost formation or removing frost, the heat pump may stop the driving of the compressor during an operation of the heat pump and heat the outdoor heat exchanger by using a defrosting heater separately provided near the outdoor heat exchanger.
As another example for delaying frost formation or removing frost, the heat pump may stop heating during a heating operation of the heat pump and operate in a cooling mode, to separately perform a defrosting operation of removing frost on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger. If the defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger is terminated, the heat pump may stop the defrosting operation and then return to the heating operation.
In another example for delaying frost formation or removing frost, when the refrigerator at a low temperature, expanded by the expansion mechanism, passes through some flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger, the heat pump may allow the refrigerator at a high temperature to pass through the other flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby partially defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger.
In the heat pump according to the background art, a separate defrosting heater is required, continuous heating is not performed because a heating operation is temporarily stopped, or a flow path structure for partially defrosting a heat exchanger is complicated.